Why should we dread being required to use poorly designed and obviously unfriendly websites to keep our lives running smoothly? We find them in every corner of our lives: banking, the Feds, the State, insurance, medical, and on and on. Furthermore, why should we be punished for hoping customer support will be helpful?
Last month, I needed the Verizon website to change the bank account linked to pay our cellphones’ payment. What I expected to be a common and easily handled task turned into two hours of the worst frustration I have known.
The modern internet promised to make life easy. We foolishly expected that we would be able to buy products, manage accounts and solve problems with a few simple clicks. Instead, interacting with most websites has become a blasted nightmare, even for experienced users. I can’t imagine how frustrating it is to have to use a website if you didn’t grow up with technology in your hand.
Today’s websites are built for corporate vanity and data collection, and completely ignore the humans trying to use them. When a user visits a site, they usually have an immediate, practical goal: find a price, track a shipment, or contact customer support. Instead, they are forced to fight through layers of digital clutter just to find a basic menu.
The most infuriating trend on most websites is the deliberate hiding of human contact options by burying phone numbers and email addresses. To make matters worse, we are routinely hijacked by primitive chats. These automated bots promise instant help but rarely understand basic questions. They trap users in endless loops of unhelpful automated responses, operating as digital security guards designed to keep us away from real human support.
Then, when we finally find a way to talk to a real human, we run into a wall of overseas customer support. To cut costs, corporations routinely replace domestic help desks with offshore centers, staffed with real humans who just learned to speak English last month. Even if you get through the language barrier, these humans often don’t understand what you need, or don’t have the authority to get it done and have to transfer you to another department. And the frustration begins anew.
I feel that there is a next-to-zero chance that large corporations and/or government entities will ever become user-friendly. But, don’t despair, help is on the way (maybe!).
It is possible that coming AI-powered web browsing agents can help. Instead of going to the website yourself, you will simply tell the AI agent what website you want and what you need, and like magic, there you are.
Also, some entities are offering premium pricing for the privilege of talking to native English-speaking humans who possess the actual authority and understanding to fix a problem. Back to the good ol’ days! I would pay for that in a heartbeat.
